75th Annual Hunger Games
by 100gamesvictor
Summary: Katniss and Peeta quieted the rebellion. District 13 was really destroyed. The Quell was never rigged by President Snow. Now it's time for the 75th Hunger Games. I suck at summaries
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games. I do not own any of the characters regcognized in the story. They all beling to the genius that is Suzanne Collins.**

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Everett Carmichael walked up Princewater Street loftily. The sun shone down, casting a yellow light on the white buildings and turning the bricks in the walkway golden in color. The glare off of the glass stopped the windows from being seen. There was an undertone of excitement running through the entire crowd.

Today was Reaping Day. The day that two children will be chosen for the honor of representing District One in the 75th Hunger Games. That's right. This year was a Quarter Quell. There would be a twist added to the Games to add to the excitement. Everett s so excited to watch. He remembered watching the TV as President Snow announced the Quell.

"_As a reminder to the rebels," he had said. "That no one was there to divert the violence that they initiated; the volunteering rights of the male and female tributes will be suspended."_

_It will be so exciting_. Of course, only Districts One, Two and Four actually volunteered. However, sometimes other districts have volunteers. Take last year. District Twelve's Katniss Everdeen volunteered and she ended up winning. That was a rare occurrence, but it did happen.

Everett remembered the other Games that he had seen. Every year, one of the children in his district had volunteered. It would be interesting to see what would happen now that that wouldn't happen. Of course, those that volunteer had always been well trained. They spent their lives trying to prepare for the Games.

Everett never understood their logic. Sure, the Hunger Games were fun to watch, but he couldn't imagine putting his life on the line like that. Everett was part of the exceptionally small lower class of District One. His parents both went into the gem mines to excavate the jewels that his district refined. Of course, most people did things of that nature. However, the majority worked in the factories that ran throughout the district. After all, only a _savage _would willingly work in the mines. That's what Everett's family was to the rest of the district. Savages.

That didn't bother Everett. He'd grown up being called savage when he went, rarely, into the wealthier part of the city. He knew what the city kids called him and all those who attended the Lower Miner Secondary School. It was his life. He knew that that was the way things were. Nothing else mattered.

Perhaps if his parents had done what so many other parents had done, things would be different. Many people save for their entire lives to afford to be able to hire a trainer to train their children. It's true, his parents had considered it. However, they decided that the training was unnecessary when they asked Everett and he said that he didn't want to compete. He was content with watching the Games with awe from the comfort of his home. Therefore, Everett attended school and received no weapons training. After all, even if he was reaped, someone would volunteer.

This year, though no one could volunteer, Everett was safe. There were over eight thousand children in District One. That would mean around fifteen thousand slips to choose from. He had three in there. There was nothing to worry about.

In his mind, nothing was out of the ordinary as he walked to the Square. Like always, he ignored the looks he was thrown. It didn't bother him. He knew he was an outsider. One particularly nasty woman stuck her leg in front of Everett, hoping to trip him. She wasn't subtle about it though, and he easily leaped over it.

On the corner of Princewater and Diamond Grove, Everett saw his closest friend. Ruby. He and Ruby had been friends since the first day of school six years earlier. She had the same chocolate hair that Everett had, a result of living in 'Savage Country' as it was called, but she had violet eyes. Her mother had been from 'Crossroads'. This was the middle class populace of District One. She had the violet eyes that resulted from that area.

One of the first social rules in District One was to stay within the area. When her parents fell in love, an act that baffled Everett, Ruby's mother was forced to move to Savage Country to live out her days. Everett sometimes wondered how she could manage it. Those thought were washed out of his head whenever he saw Mrs. Goldvine. She seemed so happy to be where she was. She loved her husband and she felt that whatever she went through to have him was worth it.

Ruby was waiting alone to greet Everett. Her parents must have been wing at the Square for them. About five feet away from her, Everett called out "Hey Rubes!"

She turned around and pushed herself off of the lamppost and walked over to Everett smiling. "Hey Ev. Ready to go?"

Everett smiled at her. "No. I'm just in my nicest clothes, which BTW isn't saying much, and walking to our usual meeting place because I'm _not_ ready. How silly of me."

Ruby looked at him curiously. "Can you say even one sentence that isn't laced with an ocean load of sarcasm?"

Everett, every deliberately, tilted his head to one side and smiled at her. "But of course," he said in a high pitched voice that he might have used to talk to Ruby's two-year-old sister Opal when playing peek-a-boo. "I don't even know what sarcasm is."

Ruby huffed and threw her hands up, nearly knocking someone's glasses off their face and earning them several dirty glares that they nonchalantly ignored. "_Why_ didn't your parents teach you English before sarcasm?"

Everett chuckled lightly as they turned onto Diamond Grove and meandered down the road. They had about an hour before they were required in the Square. There was no need for them to rush.

They talked of menial things for the first few minutes. They spoke of the jewels that their parents had mined. They were wondering how large of a price the jewels would bring. After all, if the jewels aren't mined, then there is nothing to give to the Capitol.

Everett remembered a lesson from school that stated how unique District One was. Every miner owns the jewels that they collect. They then take them to the traders. They can go around until they find the best price and then sell them. It had worked well in the past. However, there was a tradition throughout Savage Country that everyone followed. The first gem that a person mined and the first gem that they mine after each of their children's births isn't sold. It's to be kept as a souvenir.

Ruby talked about the likelihood of being reaped. She said that she would never get one of the jewels as a token. Her parents would never give one of the gems up. They liked the memory of her as a baby. Everett smiled and laughed at the thought of her as an infant.

Ruby felt that it would be interesting to see if the usual Career Pack would form without volunteers. Everett told her that it probably would. After all, everyone that wanted to be reaped took out tesserae to increase their chances.

As they reached the Square, the buzz about the upcoming reaping had escalated in size. Now people were huddled into groups. They were talking about the reaping like Ruby and Everett were before.

Ruby and Everett went over to the sign in station. They stood at the back of the line that slowly moved as children went up to sign in. After about twenty minutes of waiting, Everett was in the front. A peacekeeper told him to hold out his hand. Then, Everett felt a sharp prick in his finger and the peacekeeper shoved his finger and told him to get to the waiting area. The excitement was infectious. Everett smiled widely and watched those on the stage talk. Ruby had to go over to the girls' section, and she was lost in the crowd. So, Everett watched alone.

After a moment, Reyna Bolingaurd, District One's escort, came onto the stage and sat down in one of the many chairs on the stage. She was smiling widely at the victors and struck up a conversation with the victor of the 66th Hunger Games, Cashmere Scarlett.

After a few moments, apparently everyone had arrived. At ten-o-clock on the dot, the seal of Panem appeared above the stage. The anthem boomed and everyone made noises of excitement. When the anthem ended, Mayor Calster, an average height plump woman with golden blond hair, stepped onto the stage and began to list all of the disasters that destroyed the old civilization. She stated all of the fires, the encroaching seas, the typhoons that destroyed the old world. And from the ruins, Panem rose. The shining Capitol with its thirteen districts. Then the Dark Days fell upon the land. The thirteen districts foolishly tried to rebel against the Capitol. After only two years of fighting, twelve of the districts were defeated, the thirteenth blown to bits.

As punishment, though no one in District One thought of it as so, the Hunger Games were initiated as a way to warn future generations against rebellion.

Then she went on to list the past victors of District One. With each name, cheers rang through the district. When the final name was called, Claude Despereux who won the 72nd Hunger Games, Mayor Calster stepped back and took a seat.

Reyna Bolingaurd, an alarmingly tall woman with neon violet hair and stark white skin, bounced over to the stage. She took the microphone and said "Happy Hunger Games, District One," there were raucous applause throughout the district. "May the odds be _ever_ in your favor!" More cheers rang through the district.

Reyna clapped her hands together and squealed in delight. "Let's get on with it. Ladies first!" She bounded over to the large reaping ball filled with girls' names. She stuck her hand in shuffled around the papers for a few moments until she pulled out one single slip. She walked back to the podium slowly, building suspense with each step she took. Finally, she arrived and torturously opened the slip as slowly as possible. Then, in a loud, clear voice, she spoke the name.

"Jessamine Despereux!"

Jessamine walked up to the stage cockily. She held her head high and had an aura about her of surety. She was sure to be an excellent competitor. She was pretty, too. She was an eighteen-year-old girl. Her long blond hair was curled into ringlets that shone in the late morning sunlight. Everett could only see her profile, but she clearly had the same green eyes as her—Brother?—and most of District One had. She even moved with an athletic grace that signaled to all those paying attention that she had training as well as natural skill.

The roars of applause that rang through the crowd were deafening. It was almost impossible to hear Reyna introduce her to the crowd. Everett noticed her flash her brother Claude a bright smile before turning back to the crowd. She waved vigorously and blew kisses in all directions. Though some of the screams from the girls' side of the area seemed a little bitter, she didn't seem to care. Either way, she kept the crowd going for quite a while.

However, eventually, Reyna managed to calm the crowd down slightly. She must not have realized that Jessamine was one of the most popular girls in the district. Ever since her brother won, she had become enormously popular with the city, Crossroads, and Savage Country population. Everyone loved her.

The crowds still cheered, though on a lesser scale, for another five minutes. During that time, Jessamine walked over to the podium and took the microphone. "Thank you District One!" The applause erupted full force again at that. "I promise that in the 75th Annual Hunger Games, I will bring glory to our beloved district!" Applause once again erupted.

Reyna lightly tapped Jessamine on the shoulder and moved her out of the way, meeting protests from the crowd as she did so. She stepped in front of the microphone and began to try and calm the uproarious district down. She kept up a stream of soothing comments that slowly but surely calmed the district to the same quiet lull that it was before.

The tension rose again as Reyna once again walked over to the reaping ball, this time the boys'. She reached into it and ruffled around in it for a few moments. She snapped her hand out of the glass ball sharply and held a piece of paper in her hand. She did as she did before, slowly walking to the stage to build tension, and the crowd sucked in a breath in suspense. Who would it be? Many were hoping for Velvet Miles. He was a wealthy boy from the city with the same golden hair that was common there. He had trained for years and was eighteen-years-old. He would surely be a good match for Jessamine. If they went together, one of them would win.

When Reyna opened the slip and read the name, many people were shocked. Most were bewildered by the name that they had heard. For none of the people outside of Savage Country had ever heard it before. Even then, only a few people had heard it and knew that the person didn't stand a chance against the likes of Jessamine.

Everett Carmichael.

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**Well, I hope you like it. The story was really easy to write. This isn't going to be like any of my other stories. I actually plan on finishing it. It my take a while, but I will. That being said...**

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	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games. Sigh**

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A murmur ran through the crowd. Who was Everett Carmichael? Why hadn't they heard of him before? No one seemed to know the answers to any of these questions. All they knew was that whoever this boy was, they didn't know what to look for. He could be anybody.

Reyna seemed shocked by the reactions of the crowd. After all, in a usual year, anyone reaped was recognized by the crowd. Whoever this boy was, she thought, he clearly wasn't popular. When nobody stepped forward, Reyna repeated the name. She looked out into the sea of blond. She apparently couldn't see anyone planning on making a move.

Everett seemed to be in a daze. His name was called. How was that possible? He only had three slips out of about fifteen _thousand_! He should have been safe. After Reyna repeated his name for the second time, Everett began to move automatically. One foot in front of the other seemed. He was moving like a robot.

Everett knew that he couldn't be seen on camera like that. Therefore, he took a deep breath and began to move. He maneuvered through the crowd with great effort. He tried to squeeze through every nook and cranny between people to get to the front. About halfway through, Reyna seemed to notice him. She smiled slightly, unsure of what to do.

After a moment she snapped out of it and said. "Alright boys, let the tribute through!" The boys in front of Everett moved out of the way so he didn't have to struggle. However, they were still close enough that he could see their faces. Everyone was blond. Their green and violet eyes indicated whether the came from the rich part of the city of Crossroads. Every stare had one thing in common. It was filled with disgust.

The line was so compact that, though Everett could move forward without struggling, he could not be seen by anyone who was not directly in front of the line. He walked timidly, his legs weak, and his jaw quivered slightly. Right as he was getting to the front of the stage, all of the cameras zoomed in on him. His face was projected for all to see. Then, right as he exited the line, someone stuck their leg into his path. Everett fell flat on his face in front of the whole country. Chuckles ran through the entire district.

Blushing deeply, Everett pushed himself off of the floor and walked up to the stage. When he got to the top step, Reyna walked up and ushered him over to the podium. He stood there; cameras trained on him, and said absolutely nothing. He knew that he should have said something like Jessamine did. Something about bringing honor to the district and what not. But Everett knew that he wouldn't. Anything that he said would sound false and he would look foolish.

Reyna seemed to realize that Everett wasn't going to say anything. She bumbled over to him and took control of the podium. "Yes, well. Let's give a warm round of applause for our boy tribute!" She said this halfheartedly. Instead a weak applause, a bark of laughter was heard in the silence. Then more. And more. In a few moments, the entire district was laughing at him hysterically. Everett felt tears swell up in his eyes as he looked into the crowd of people that he had lived with for fourteen years. They were laughing as he was being sent to certain death.

Only those like him, those with dark hair, seemed to be immune. Everett saw Ruby near the front. She wasn't always there, but she seemed to have forced her way to the front in an attempt to see him. Her lip was quivering, he could see from far away. Unlike him, she wasn't attempting to hold in the tears. They were flowing down her face freely.

There were others as well. Barron Jessup, Everett's next door neighbor, stood in a crowd of eighteen-year-olds his face set stonily. Couture Barnibus, a friend from school, slapped a city kid next to her that was laughing. Others from Savage Country seemed to be doing similarly. People that Everett had known his entire life were slapping those from the city for daring to laugh.

Reyna seemed to notice this as she quickly turned the attention back to the tributes. "Well. Let's have our tributes shake hands!" Everett turned to Jessamine. She was smiling slightly, but her stare was filled with disdain. No, not disdain. It was more like utter loathing. Any hope of avoiding her kill list vanished from Everett's mind swiftly.

Mayor Calster returned to the stage and read the long and dull Treaty of Treason. Jessamine stood there, glaring at Everett while he simply tried to disappear from her cold glare.

Mercifully, the reading ended swiftly. Everett was then taken by the arm by a peacekeeper and led into the Justice Building. The peacekeeper led him to the elevator and up to the third floor. Then he was ushered into the large room where he would say his goodbyes to his family.

The room was exceptionally plush. There were plush red velvet couches and a red and gold carpet on the floor. There were large windows to one side and the cherry wood worked well with all of the furniture. Everett sighed and sat down on the sofa. The next hour would be painful. One hour. He had one hour to say his goodbyes to his loved ones. That wouldn't be enough time, but he would have to make it work.

The first person to enter was Ruby. The tear streaks from the reaping were still visible. However, she seemed to be making an effort to hold in the tears. She looked at him and said four words. "You have to win."

Everett looked at her mournfully. "Jessamine hates me. For whatever reason, I'm already on her kill list. I can't win."

Ruby did something that Everett never expected. She slapped him upside the head. They had jokingly hit one another before. But they had never done it in a serious situation. Also, it had never left a mark before.

Everett looked at her incredulously. "What was that for?"

Ruby glared back fiercely. Her violet eyes shone. "Don't say that you don't have a shot. At least try." The ferocity of her glare stupefied Everett. All he could do was nod. That seemed to be all it took. Her fierce façade broke. She threw her arms around Everett's neck and cried.

The doors that were silent for the entire time burst open. Two peacekeepers came into the room and grabbed Ruby's shoulders. They hauled her out of the room. She struggled to be released and wept when she failed. The doors slammed shut behind her, leaving Everett alone in the plush room.

Then, a moment later, they opened again and Everett's parents entered. They didn't waste any time crying. They came up to them, an urgency in their eyes. His mother threw her arms round his neck and held him tight. After a moment, she released him and gazed into his eyes. She spoke swiftly. "You're allowed one thing as your token. One thing from home. Take this." She held out a beautiful ring that Everett had never seen before.

The ring had a solid gold band and a blue stone in the center. Everett knew what the stone was. Lapis Lazuli. His eyes widened as it dawned on him what this was. "This is the stone you got after I was born, isn't it?" His mother smiled and his father put his hand on her shoulder. He picked up where she left off, seeing that she didn't seem to be able to continue. "We had it put on a ring when we got it. We figured it would be a good way to make sure it wasn't lost."

Everett took the ring and slipped it onto his left index finger. It fit perfectly and he noticed that there were indented rings surrounding the was elegantly beautiful.

Everett threw his arms around his parents' necks and pulled them into a tight embrace. _This_ _is_ _it_, he thought. _This_ _is_ _the_ _last_ _time_ _I'll_ _ever_ _see_ _my_ _family_.

Far too soon, the peacekeepers entered the room and told his parents to leave. He sat alone for ten more minutes. He stared at the wall and though back to his childhood. He had been an average child. He didn't do anything out of the ordinary. He went to school every day. He avoided the richer parts of the city. He hung out with Ruby. That was all he would be remembered as. That and a tribute. He would be one of the people that no one remembered. When he died, no one would care.

No, that's not true. His parents would care. Ruby would care. He had people that cared about him. He had a job. It wasn't to come home like he told Ruby. That wouldn't happen. No. He needed to find a way to make his death, in whatever form it came, as clean as possible. The majority of District One would want to see a bloody, gory, gruesome death. In truth, if he were to be watching, that would be what he wanted. However, this wasn't about what they wanted. This was the best for his family. They didn't need to see him die in a gory fashion. It was the least he could do for them.

When the peacekeepers arrived, snapping him out of his train of thought, they told him that he was being escorted out of the train. They led him to the back of the Justice Building. Once there, they brought him to a care where he was hurriedly ushered inside. Within moments, the car was speeding down the streets toward the train station.

As the car sped by, Everett tried to get one last glimpse of the district that he had lived in for his entire life. However, everything was going so fast that he couldn't decipher any of the images before they were gone. It was not long before they were pulling up in front of the train station.

There were cameras everywhere. The flashing lights might have given Everett a seizure had he lived any else. His district was full of flashing lights. The cries of the Capitol reporters as they tried to get a glimpse of him and get a speck of conversation blurred together into a distant hum as Everett boarded the train.

The train was even grander then the goodbye room. But Everett paid no attention to it as he walked to the window and watched as the train pulled out of the station. From his spot, he watched the last view of his home fade away forever.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games or any of the recognizable characters. They belong the the brilliant woman, Suzanne Collins.**

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Everett sat there for what seemed like hours. The wilderness passed by in a blur and he didn't take anything that he viewed in. The hours went by. Reyna, twice, offered in her annoyingly chipper voice to show him to his room. His silence was answer enough for her.

It was strange for him. He had always watched the Games. They were an exciting part of his life. It was strange to think that one of the exciting parts of his life would kill him.

It was true. Being a tribute was an honor. An honor that Everett was, on some level, glad to have. It was just the fact that the honor would kill him. He wasn't like Jessamine. She had been training for the Games for her entire life. What was a little danger to her? She knew the risks.

Through the passage of time, Everett realized that he had to plan. He had to stay alive for as long as possible. That being said, he pushed himself up from his seat and walked to the dining car. Inside, Reyna sat with Jessamine and several victors.

When she was him, Reyna smiled. "Good. Everett, you're just in time for dinner." Everett nodded and walked toward the empty seat. Unfortunately, it was across from Jessamine. She glared at him as he sat down. After a moment, she turned her attention to her brother.

"Claude, I know that you'll be mentoring me. But who will be mentoring Everett? Gloss?" Her voice was innocent. There was just the slightest twinge of curiosity. No one that hadn't seen the look in her eyes on the stage would have guessed that she wanted Everett dead.

Her brother smiled at her. "No, Gloss isn't mentoring this year." He looked toward the collection of victors and stared at one. Everett and Jessamine followed his gaze. It landed on Cashmere Scarlett.

Cashmere smiled brightly at Everett. "Nice to meet you. After dinner, we need to talk. Stay in here after everyone left. We need to talk."

Everett nodded and looked down at his plate. It was piled high with delicacies of the grandest stature. There was the lamb stew that Katniss Everdeen mentioned as her favorite thing in the Capitol. There were rich, savory lamb chops. And other delicacies that Everett didn't even try to name.

He decided to start off with the lamb stew that Katniss recommended. Everett was always a fan of Katniss. Call it childish, but he always loved to watch an underdog. It made it so much more exciting when something happened to them.

It was strange. He always loved to root for the underdog. Now, he was a tribute with no training. He was from one of the most hated districts. People will likely be lining up to kill him. He might as well have signed his own death certificate. Save the Capitol some time.

No, he didn't believe that. He would do the best that he could to stay alive. After all, he was a Hunger Games fanatic. He was almost always in front of the television watching old Games. He knew so much about the strategies that were used. That had to count for something.

Despite his thought process, deep down, Everett knew that he wouldn't win. He would go into the arena. He would go to the bloodbath. He would die. That was all that his future held.

Katniss Everdeen had good taste. The lamb stew was excellent. Though normally Everett didn't like plums, they weren't very noticeable with everything else in it. They simply added to the taste. Everett shouldn't have been focusing on the food. He was heading to the _Hunger_ _Games!_ However, it would be insulting not to give the chef credit.

Everett looked up to Reyna. "Who made this?" he gestured to the stew. Reyna had been distracted, talking to the victor of the 56th Hunger Games, Dominic Gember, and turned her head to Everett. "Excuse me?"

Everett repeated his question. Reyna smiled and said "There's a chef on board the train. He makes everything that you're eating. Well, him and his staff."

Everett smiled at her. "Well, can I meet him? I want to give him my compliments personally." Reyna seems startled by the request. Everett assumed that no one had ever asked to meet the chef before. He didn't understand why. Anyone with manners would want to thank the person that was making such an excellent meal.

The faces of the victors were similar. Cashmere smiled slightly. Her brother sat next to her, his mouth hanging open from the request.

Jessamine sat next to her brother, smiling into her stew. It wasn't a kind smile. It didn't show any sort of warmth or sweetness. No, it was a mocking smile. It was her silent way of saying '_keep on making a fool of yourself, kid._' That didn't bother Everett. If there was one thing that his mother had always taught him, it was: "Thank whoever made your meals. They deserved recognition."

Reyna seemed to recover after a moment. She bobbed her head up and down. "Yes, yes, of course." She turned to a woman in white with blond hair and said "Fetch the cook for us, would you." The woman nodded and went off silently, not speaking a word.

Moments later, she returned followed by a plump man. He was balding and the hair on the side of his head was graying. He had a round face and a curious expression adorned it. He looked to Reyna and said in a deeply accented voice "I was called here. I trust your food is satisfactory. Is there anything I may get you?"

Reyna was about to respond, but Everett stood up. He smiled at the cook, who looked startled. Apparently, he wasn't addressed by tributes often. "There was nothing wrong with the food. Actually, I just wanted to personally inform you that the food was excellent. I don't believe that I have ever tasted anything this good. In fact, I'm sure of it."

The cook's confused expression turned into a smile. The confusion certainly remained, but it was overpowered by immense pleasure. "Thank you, good sir. Please inform me if there is anything that I could possibly do the better your trip's food." He gave a slight bow of the head.

Everett smiled slightly. "Actually, there is. You see, my friend Ruby's mother once told me of a chocolate brownie filled with hot fudge and topped with vanilla ice cream." Everett got a dazed look in his eyes. "It always sounded so good. I've only had chocolate once," gasps rang through the room from all of the Capitolites. "I've had vanilla a few more times, but I would love to try that meal before I enter the arena."

The chef's eyes brightened considerably at the mention of something to make. "I know just what you are talking about. I was not about to make it, but consider it done. One plate of Chocolate volcano will be out within a half hour." Everett was startled. He tried to protest, saying that there was no need to go through the trouble of making a new dish, but the chef wouldn't hear it. He waved his hands about and said "There is no inconvenience. It will be out soon." With that, he bustled off to the kitchen to make the dish.

Everett stood there dumbfounded. "I didn't mean that he had to make a whole new dessert. I was just wondering if he could make it tomorrow or something."

Cashmere smiled as she got up out of her seat and walked over to Everett. She placed her arms on his shoulders and said "I've had the chocolate volcano. You won't be complaining." She then lightly led Everett back to his seat before returning to her own.

Slowly, everyone returned to their own conversations. The victors continued to talk and Reyna picked up her conversation where it left off. The only one who didn't return to normal was Jessamine. She glared at Everett fiercely. Whatever distaste she felt toward him had just multiplied.

All fell silent as the chef personally served the dessert. He laid out the chocolate in front of Everett and stepped back. Everett stared wide eyed at the treat. He had never seen anything so amazing. He continued to stare as he said "I really don't want to eat it." The chef began stammering out apologies, saying he would take it back and make something acceptable very quickly. Everett chuckled and said "No, it looks amazing. It's just so pretty that I don't want to eat it."

Jessamine groaned and slammed her hands onto the table. "Just eat it already!" she exclaimed.

Everett nodded absently, infuriating her more by his lack of acknowledgment. Then, he tentatively took the fork in his hand and pushed into the chocolate. Where the fork punctured, chocolate lava began to pour out profusely. He took a piece of it, dipped it in the vanilla ice cream and then the hot fudge, and put it in his mouth. The chocolate cake began to melt on contact, as did the ice cream. It swirled together, dancing across his tongue, in a complex and exotic dance that Everett was sure he would never tire of. He let out a moan of pleasure and he distantly heard the chef clapping. He paid no attention to it as he repeated the process all over again.

After repeating the process several times over, Everett came to his senses. He turned back to the chef, chocolate still in his mouth and looked at him. He swiftly swallowed and said "It's amazing." The chef jumped up and down gleefully and squealed in delight. He swiftly bowed his head and profusely apologized for the wait. Everett shrugged it off, saying that if it takes half an hour to achieve perfection, he was willing to wait. This pleased the chef as he mournfully spoke of needing to return to work.

Everyone began to clear out of the room, Everett having told them not to wait for him to finish. Cashmere remained seated, no doubt planning to speak to Everett as he finished. They had half an hour to talk before they were needed in the media car for the recap of the reapings.

Everett looked at her, barely raising his eyes from the dish. "You don't have to wait for me. Please speak."

Cashmere glared at him. "You know, you might show a little enthusiasm. I can help keep you alive."

Everett snorted. "Yeah." He shook his head and continued to look at his food. "We both know I'm dead. I might as well spend my last days in style." With a shrug of his shoulders, he continued eating.

Cashmere shook her head and expelled a breath. "You're a career. You can—"

"I'm not a career." Everett interrupted, looking up from the chocolate for the first time. There was quite a bit of chocolate on his lips which he hastily licked off.

Cashmere tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean? Didn't you train?"

Everett shook his head. "I'm from Savage Country. My parents considered training, but I never planned on volunteering. We didn't think it was necessary."

Cashmere, elbows on the table and fingers pressed against her eyes as if to block out the harsh reality, shook her head slightly. "What are you good at?" She silently prayed that there was something.

Everett shrugged. There wasn't much for him to say. "There isn't much, but I know a lot about the Games. I've watched them all."

Cashmere looked up with wide, hopeful eyes. "_All_ of them?"

Everett shrugged. "Maybe that's an exaggeration, but I watch them all the time."

Cashmere nodded. "Okay. There's no hope of making it into the career pack. They'll never take you. We've got to think of a solo strategy."

Everett felt guilty to admit it, but he felt compelled to. "I'm really no good with weapons."

Cashmere shrugged it off. He was definitely different from all of the other tributes she had mentored, but he wasn't hopeless. "Don't even try to learn." Everett nodded, putting his fork down because he was finished. "Your best chance is to learn some survival skills. Knot tying. Fire building. You've got to learn about edible plants and sea life. That's a must." Everett nodded, capturing every word and committing them to memory.

Cashmere glanced at the clock, knowing it was almost time to go. "One more thing. During training, I already said to learn some survival skills. Well, on the last day or two-the last afternoon of the second day-try working with some weapons. Don't go for any fancy ones. A knife will do. Go for something that wouldn't be difficult to get at the cornucopia or for me to send as a sponsor gift. Try something easy."

With that, the two of them proceeded to walk into the media car. Inside, the other victors, Reyna, and Jessamine all sat in a loose circle around the television. Everyone was talking about what they thought of the possible tributes. They constantly kept in mind that no volunteers could come forward.

The seal of Panem lit up the dark screen and the anthem boomed on the surround sound. The noise was so loud it vibrated off of the walls, shocking Everett. He put his hand to his ears to bar the sound from his eardrums.

Jessamine noticed that and giggled into her hands. She turned back to the screen, focusing her attention on the image of her home, as everyone did.

The screen showed Reyna about to pull the name. it showed in staggering stillness her walking slowly toward the reaping ball, pulling the name, and walking back over. Even hours later, and already knowing who would be called, everyone still held their breath as if they had missed it. Jessamine's name was read. The commentators spoke of how she was the sister of Claude Despereux. They noticed her posture was that of a fighter and were betting she would be a competitor.

When they said this, Jessamine scoffed. "I won't be a _good_ competitor. I'll be _the_ competitor." Her brother chuckled and pulled her into a hug. She squirmed and tried to escape, but it was no use. He held her tightly into himself. She gracelessly wrinkled her nose as her face scrunched up and stayed in his arms.

Then came Everett's reaping. The same staggering stillness that Reyna achieved with Jessamine was lost on the crowd, and on the victors. Only Everett was quiet. He knew that he had made a fool of himself. But he also knew that he had a tendency to blow things out of proportion. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as he thought.

As the reaping played all over again, only one thought came to mind. Worse.

When Reyna read his name, there was no movement throughout the crowd. That wasn't only embarrassing for Everett, but for District One as well. By the second time it was uncomfortable. By the third, it was just plain ridiculous. The commentators felt the need to point that out. They stated that Everett should just come forward and accept the honor.

When he finally did come forward, the cameras managed to catch him falling down, but not him being tripped. They did however manage to catch, in exquisite detail, his facial expression as he pushed himself up off the floor. He was red cheeked and his hair rumpled. Chuckles ran through the crowd on the TV and through the victors. Some, like Jessamine, outright laughed.

When he got onto the stage and was asked to speak. Nothing came out. This was likely the worst part for Everett. Knowing that it was his own fault-not someone tripping him or bad camera people-that made him look like a fool was just excruciating to watch. He and Jessamine shaking hands, the commentators noted her expression by saying that Everett better watch out.

District Two appeared after that. The population of Two was a bit larger than One, but not by much. The screen cuts right to the reaping. A man with aqua skin stepped onto the stage. He began with the same "Ladies first!" that every escort seemed to start out with before walking over to the reaping ball. He reached in and pulled out a name. When he read the name, one that Everett didn't remember though he certainly remembered the girl, a girl with two blond pigtails the color of wet sand came forward. She had a splash of freckles across her complexion and couldn't be any taller than 4"8. She looked so scared that Everett would have laughed if he were at home.

Next came the boy. His name was Marik Dewel. In all the ways the girl was weak, he was not. He stood at _least_ 6"7 with short, cropped hair the same color as the girl's. He had bulging muscles and an expression that ran along the lines of _if looks could kill._ He would be a competitor.

District Three were the usual tributes. They were both dark hair with ashen skin. Neither of them would win. Claude said they would be bloodbath victims.

Both from District Four were memorable. The boy was tall, not as tall as Marik but easily around 6"4, with bronze skin and black hair. He was leaner, though still greatly muscled, and would surely be a competitor. The girl seemed to be around 5"10 and was just as lean as the boy. Her Red hair was a vibrant shade of orange.

District Five, again, was nothing to be noted. Both tributes and auburn hair and pale white, almost corpse whit in color, and small in stature. Neither would survive long.

In District Six, the boy was memorable. He had close cropped black hair and more muscles then Marik and the boy from Four. He was about as tall as Marik. The girl on the other hand, was more like the girl from Two with black hair. Bloodbath.

Districts Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, and Eleven were the old wimps. They would be dead by nightfall on the first day.

District Twelve was interesting. The girl, a…ah, let's say gifted with certain _assets. _ She had blond hair and walked onto the stage calmly, a rarity for District Twelve. The boy was another matter. He looked to be about twelve-years-old with black hair and gray eyes. Though he walked calmly, his eyes danced with panic. This wouldn't be strange if it hadn't been for two things. One, some guy yelled "NO," and started running forward, only to be beat in the head by the bottom of the gun. The other was the background. The victors were seated where they always were. The two new additions, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark were sitting next to each other. However, Everdeen seemed to be hyperventilating. Mellark was holding her close and whispering in his ear.

Everett wonders, along with everyone else in the room, why. It takes Cashmere, so quietly that it can barely be heard, saying it for them to understand.

"Rory Hawthorne is her cousin."

* * *

**There. I did it. I put Rory in the Games. Hate me all you want. I have big plans for him. Mwah Ha Ha.**

**REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!**


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